


Partnership

by echoelbo



Category: Dissidia Duodecim: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV
Genre: Cecil trusting him anyways, Dissidia-verse, Ficlets, Gen, Kain compulsively betraying people, M/M, Multi, Trust, ot3's real and kicking even tho Rosa ain't here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:38:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoelbo/pseuds/echoelbo
Summary: Cecil finds Kain again just to realize his friend has betrayed their allies in the time he was gone.





	Partnership

When Cecil makes it into the second dimension with Kain in it, he is greeted by his allies all feet away from Kain, staring at the man’s side with distrust.

“He’s betrayed us enough,” they say, as Kain doesn’t move, keeps his arms crossed and eyes away from everyone.

Cecil shifts and looks between his allies and Kain. Without a word, he walks up to his oldest friend and taps his shoulder gently, the force lost to Kain’s armor but the meaning not.

“I want to talk,” Cecil says, and he sees Kain stiffen. But he nods regardless as Cecil keeps walking, starts walking behind Cecil.

It’s never a strange feeling, having Kain behind him. It makes Cecil vulnerable to the friend who had already betrayed him twice. Yet Cecil feels more comfortable than ever with his friend at his back, feels far more safe and at home than he ever could be. The pain caused by Kain’s betrayals were only matched by the pain caused by his absences.

So when they’re well out of the group’s hearing range and hidden behind a wall, Cecil puts his hand on Kain’s armor and kisses him, a gentle kiss that causes Kain and time to both freeze.

He relinquishes the kiss to put his hands on both sides of Kain’s helmet, giving his friend the opportunity to resist if needed, knowing full well how Kain himself needed his own space and control. He pulls the helmet up and off slowly, meets the intense and focused eyes of the dragoon underneath as his ponytail falls loose from his helmet. He presses another kiss to Kain and strokes the helmet with his thumb.

“I trust you,” Cecil whispers, meeting Kain’s gaze unwaveringly. A flash of confusion - and fear, perhaps - crosses Kain’s eyes, but neither move. “So please, let me know what’s going on so that I can help you.”

“It’s like your brother said,” Kain says, eyes piercing into Cecil. “The more we fight and kill, the more memories we regain.”

“And the more likely we are to end this war...” Cecil adds, following Kain’s logic. His friend nods.

“And that’s why you can’t help,” he states. Cecil shifts under his determined gaze. He knows his dragoon friend, knows how gentle and compassionate he is. It feels like a secret only he knows, as most others only meet Kain’s detached or strict sides. And yet even his strictness is strangely compassionate at times - Cecil has yet to meet a dragoon who isn’t thankful for Kain’s training, all seem so certain it’s the only reason they survive conflicts, that they’re strong enough to protect those they love.

And despite his memories being a haze, he knows that Kain can carry any burden needed, that he has carried far too many burdens for Cecil’s sake that it has crushed him before. He now recognizes that Kain does the emotionally taxing work in his place, does whatever is needed to protect those near him.

Even if that includes murdering innocents.

Cecil swallows before stepping forward and grabbing Kain’s lance, sliding his hand up to the tip as he lifts it and gently places it over his own heart.

Kain tenses.

“You wish to end this conflict,” Cecil says, and there’s no uncertainty in his voice. He looks up to meet Kain’s gaze again.

A moment of silence passes.

“I will take nothing more from you,” Kain whispers eventually. Cecil grips the lance tighter.

“We share everything, Kain,” is his answer, simple as day.

But Kain denies him that, wrestles his lance from Cecil’s grip and grabs his helmet from Cecil’s other hand. He places the helmet back on steadily before turning.

He takes one step away before pausing and turning back around to press a kiss against Cecil.

“I’ll bear every pain for you and Rosa,” he whispers, and Cecil can hear his voice crack with a sadness he’d never heard from his friend before.

Kain backs off and walks away and Cecil’s left feeling dazed and strangely empty without Kain by his side, and emptier yet as he turns the name “Rosa” over in his mind. He wonders what Kain remembers and why the name Rosa makes him feel so small and lonely, as if the name belonged to him as Kain’s did Cecil, as Cecil’s did Kain.


End file.
